OFWguru Workabroad Guides

Location, Culture and Pinoys in New Zealand

Location

An island country located in the southwestern part of Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is comprised of two main landmasses—the North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui and the South Island or Te Waipounamu, and other smaller islands.

Around 1,500 km on the east of Australia, across the Tasman Sea, and 1,000 km south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga can New Zealand be found.

Culture

Interesting Facts:

1. New Zealand’s market economy is highly dominated by exports of dairy products, meat, and wine.

2. New Zealand has a high-income economy, which makes them rank highly internationally when it comes to their health, education, economic freedom, and overall quality of life.

3. New Zealand is among the most stable and well-governed nations throughout the world, and has a high level of civic participation, having 79% voter turnout during its last elections.

Pinoys in New Zealand

As of 2013, 39,091 Filipinos are working in New Zealand. This number is expected to increase significantly in the next years, as an estimate of 30,000 jobs in the construction sector would be presented for aspiring Filipino workers.

New Zealand’s income opportunity is higher than any other country because of their minimum wage of NZD18/hr or 1 NZD=PHP 30, making New Zealand among the top destinations for OFWs—both skilled workers and professionals alike.